Improvement in punches for numbering checks



c. s. WESTCOTT. B. ADRIANCE & T. MINER.

, PUNCHES FOR NUMBERING CHECKS.

N- ,"188,751. Patented March 27,1877.

N PETERS, PHDTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D c.

UNIT STATES PATENT OEEroE.

CHARLES s. wEs'roorT, 0F ELIZABETH, N. J., AND BENJAMIN ADRIANGE AND THEODORE MINER, OF BROOKLYN, ASSIGNORS TO SAID ADRIANOE AND MINER, AND PAULINA W. KELLOGG, OF SKANEATELES, N. Y.

lM-PROVE MENT IN PUN'CHES FOR NUMBERING CHECKS.

Specification forming part of LettersPatent No. 188,761, dated March 27, 1877; application tiled September 5, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES S. WEST- GOTT, of Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New J ersey,and BENJAMIN ADBIANCE and THEODORE MINER, of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Numher-Punches for Checks, &c., of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to apress containing a range of cutters, a pair of grasping-rollers, and a lever with connecting parts arranged and operated, in such a manner that the rollers grasp and hold the check or piece of paper, and they are moved by a lever around to the particular number to be punched, and the lever also actuates the punch, and gives a partial turning movement to the rollers, so as to move the paper for the next punching operation; and there is a guard-plate that prevents the lever being improperly actuated.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a plan of the machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical section with the lever depressed; and Fig. 3 is a rear sectional view of the holding-rollers at the line m w.

The bed a is of suitable size and'shape. It has a central pivot, 12, a guard-plate, c, and a rest, 01, for the punches and die-plates e f. These die-plates c f are permanently fastened to the rest d. The upper plate 6 is perforated with holes that are positioned so as to represent numbers or letters. Numbers usually will be used, so as to perforate the check with -holes representing the sum in dollars, and a dollar-mark, will also be provided. The punches h are made on spring-tongues h attached to the under side of the plate f, each group of punches forming a number being upon a separate spring, It is preferable to have a steel plate, t, slotted to form spring-tongues to press against the tongues h, as shown in detached view, Figs. 2 and 4 The. punches correspond with the holes in the plate 0, so as to act with such plate in perforating the numher-holes. The plate f acts as a clearingplate and the normal position of the punches is away from the plate 6, so that the space between 49 and f is open and free. Upon the vertical pivot b is a cylinder or sleeve, k, with an arm, 1, below the punches, carrying at its end the roller m, and with a second arm, n, above the die-plates e f. A second roller, 0, is mounted upon a spring or spring-arm, 7', that is upon or connected with the arm n, and the surfaces of the rollers m o are preferably of india-rubber, and the spring r serves to press the rollers together with sufficient force to grasp a check or piece of paper put between them. The lever-handle .9 serves to lift the roller 0 sufficiently to allow the check or piece of paper to be inserted between the rollers and plates 0 f in such a position that the punching or perforating will be at the required place. It will now be apparent that the arms l and n can be swung upon the piv- 0t 11 to bring the said arms into line with either .of the number-punches, and in this movement the paper will be carried to the same point and remain in its proper position between the rollers o m. This swinging movement is given by the lever n, that is pivoted at 3 to the arm l, and at the short end of this lever is the presser-stud 5, that acts upwardly beneath the punch-spring to drive the punches upwardly into the die-plate and perforate the paper. There is a pressure-block, 6, upon the under side of the arm n, that forms a resistance to hold the plate 0 down against the action of the punches.

The outer end of the lever u swings over the guard-plate c, and the surface of that guardplate forms a stop to limit the downward movement of this end of the lever, as said lever is actuated by hand in punching the paper. A segmental range of holesis provided in this guard-plate c, and there is a pin, 10, upon the under side of the lever to enter the holes.

This device serves three purposes: First, each hole, being marked to correspond with the punches, indicates the proper place to which to move the lever. Second, it holds the levers, rollers, and check in a fixed vertical plane while the lever is being depressed to perforate the paper, because the point of the pin enters its hole in the guard-plate before the punching devices operate. Third, the length of the pin is such that the lever cannot be swung until it has been raised sufficiently to draw the pin up above the guard-plate this secures a full movement of the lever and the entire liberation of the paper from the punches before the paper can be moved.

The same movement of the lever in a vertical plane is made to turn the lower roller 1 and move the paper along thedistanoe necessary to keep one figure clear of the next. This is done by a spring-pawl, t, on the arm l, acted upon by the short end of the lever u, and taking the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 7 on the inner face of the roller m, so as to turn the same and cause the paper to be moved as aforesaid. A check-pawl, 9, holds the ratchet-wheel 7 from turning back. The pawl tspringslaterally. The pawl thas two flanges or fingers, (see Fig. 3,) one above the lever u and the other below, so that the pawl is moved by the lever both up and down.

We claim as our invention- 1. The combination, with a segmental range of perforating-punches, of a segmental dieplate, a, clearing-plate f, and mechanism swinging upon a pivot at the center of the segment, for holding the paper to be punched, and for actuating the punches, substantially as set forth.

2. The lever a, swinging with the arms land 10. upon the vertical pivot b, and also swinging vertically upon the pivot 3, in combination with the grasping-rollers o and m, die-plates e f, and spring-pawl t for turning the grasping-rollers, substantially as set forth.

3. The guard-plate c with holes, in combina tion with the pin 10, lever u, and holding and perforating mechanism, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

Signed by us this 14th day of August, A. D. 1876.

G. S. WESTOOTT. THEO. MINER. BENJ. ADRIANOE.

Witnesses:

GEo. D. WALKER, A. H. SHOEMAKER. 

